Ray: This oversized special gives us the truth of where Superman went while his son takes over the role, but it takes its time getting there. That’s not a criticism—the preamble may actually be better than the main reveal. This is Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s first take on the character, and he chooses to introduce us to his vision through the eyes of others. In the future, Metropolis is a shrine to the long-missing Superman, and a young woman comes to visit the “church” where they pray for his return. There, we see many people share their stories of how Superman saved them, along with their theories of where he went. Some are out of character, some are stunningly beautiful, all are gorgeously drawn by Mikel Janin. When we finally see Superman, stripped of his powers and forced to fight as a gladiator on Warworld, we’re already primed to care about him more than we have in a while. If this is a preview of what Johnson’s Superman run will be like, I can’t wait to see it ramp up.
Next up is a Mister Miracle story set after the one in Superman of Metropolis, as Shiloh Norman finds himself teleported to a ruined planet that turns out to be Warworld. The first half of the story is mostly him trying to get his bearings and investigating a haunting environment, but when he encounters Midnighter, the story picks up in a big way. He soon finds himself drafted into a resistance against Mongul. This story is by the same Easton/De Landro creative team as the first, but I think this environment suits them better.
Next up is a Midnighter story by Cloonan, Conrad, and Melnikov. This is part of what seems like an upcoming revival of the Authority, with a vibe that definitely calls back to the classic Wildstorm days of the character. As Midnighter infiltrates Warworld, he comes up against an army of genetically engineered cyborgs with rather disgusting appearances. This is vintage Midnighter, with some utterly brutal fight scenes and shocking ultraviolence. The twist ending is probably what everyone’s going to be talking about, but I doubt it’s what it appears to be and I doubt it’ll stick in the upcoming present-day backups. Overall, this is a good Midnighter story, but it’s definitely a throwback and not really rooted in the (slightly) kinder and gentler Midnighter we saw in the Steve Orlando run.
Finally, it’s a Black Racer story by Jeremy Adams and Siya Oum. This isn’t the mostly silent Apokaliptan god of death we’ve seen before—it’s a young woman from space who seems to have merged with him. She’s captured by Warworld, surviving due to her unique abilities, and promptly breaks free. There, she has to decide between making her escape and helping the countless slaves being held in Mongul’s fortress. This is a fast issue without much of an intro, but it’s a compelling intro to a new player in this drama. Overall, just about every story in this volume has something going for it, but none can stand up to the spectacular main feature.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
This post was last modified on January 18, 2021 5:35 pm
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